This invention relates in general to medication dispensers, and in particular to a liquid medicament dispenser for controlled infusion delivery of liquid medication to a patient wherein the dispenser is provided with a flow regulator for controlling flow rate of the liquid medication, a manually operable flow rate adjuster for setting flow rate, and an encasement housing releasably securable about the flow rate adjuster for impeding access to the adjuster once a flow rate has been set.
Many non-hospitalized and ambulatory patients regularly require an infusion delivery of intravenous (IV) liquid medication in a manner similar to that experienced by non-ambulatory hospitalized patients who are receiving a traditional IV drip from a hanging bottle. To address the need for such patients, manufacturers have developed portable infusion devices that can accompany the patient and accomplish controlled medication delivery while the patient attends to daily activities.
Most important in such drug delivery, however, is the provision of precise flow rates into the patient so that over- or under-medication does not occur. Because of this requirement, current portable infusion devices generally must be custom made with respect to flow rate values since these devices have no provision for flow rate adjustment. Consequently, manufacturers, wholesalers, and selling suppliers all must commit to extensive inventories of duplicate devices that differ individually only in flow rate delivery of infused medicaments.
In view of this flow-rate inflexibility in present infusion delivery devices, it is apparent that a need is present for flow rate adjustability. Consequently, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a controlled infusion delivery dispenser that includes a flow regulator with an easily adjustable flow rate.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a delivery dispenser having a flow rate adjuster with an encasement housing releasably securable there about for impeding access to the adjuster once a correct flow rate has been set.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent throughout the description thereof which now follows.
The present invention is a liquid medicament dispenser for controlled infusion delivery of liquid medication to a patient. The dispenser includes an elastomeric bladder for housing the liquid medication under pressure imposed by the bladder, an inlet in communication with the bladder for receiving the liquid medication into the bladder, and an outlet in communication with the bladder for discharging the liquid medication from the bladder into an infusion tube leading from the outlet for delivering the liquid medication to the patient. A flow regulator for controlling flow rate of the liquid medication through the infusion tube, and which can be inline with the infusion tube, includes a flow rate adjuster with a manually operable adjuster knob for setting flow rate and an encasement housing releasably securable about the adjuster knob for impeding access to the adjuster once the proper rate has been set. By so protecting the flow rate adjuster knob with the encasement housing, accidental or deliberate re-adjustment of flow rate, as may be caused by the patient, is minimized while advantageously providing a medicament dispenser having utility among most all patients because of integral adjustability of flow rate control.